A notification system for a landmine detector using distributed cognition

This paper presents a design for a visual display to be added to mine detection equipment. It is an application of the tenets of calm computing to a safety-critical system by putting cognition outside the mind, aligning inputs within the centre of attention and along the periphery, and juxtaposing stimuli in close proximity to the source of the information, all with the aim of increasing safety. The first iteration occurred in the redesign of a landmine detector is described, starting from a literature review of the related practices, concept design, mock-up production and, finally, heuristic evaluation and the brainstorming undertaken with experts in the field.